Happy Face
by Glee Let Me Down
Summary: Quinn goes to therapy...finally...
1. Chapter 1

"Everything's fine," She said with a pretty little smile on her face. She sat up straight, her legs crossed, her hands rested gracefully on her knee. The chair wasn't that comfortable. She had expected a couch: something made of leather that she could lay down on, taking sophisticated puffs from a cigarette as she talked, like Betty Draper on Mad Men. However, a scene like that would give away one of her many secrets: she hadn't stopped smoking.

Doctor Jessup kept her narrow eyes on the clipboard that Quinn had just handed her. "Well, Lucille, either your telling the truth now or you've lied on your entry questionnaire."

Quinn cringed, but maintained her composure. "It's Quinn. I go by Quinn." She said simply, cocking her head.

The therapist looked up blankly. "That's a far cry from Lucille."

"It's the name on the insurance. Quinn's my middle name."

"Is there any particular reason you don't go by Lucille or…Lucy, perhaps?"

It seemed like a rude question. Quinn shrugged. "Not really. I just like Quinn better."

The therapist finally accepted this, and smiled slightly. "Honestly, I do too."

Perfect. "So, we're on the same page." Quinn raised her hands slightly, facing her palms up.

"So, Quinn…" Doctor Jessup sighed. Quinn lowered her hands nervously, understanding that it was time for business. "You say everything's fine. In fact, you wrote that the biggest contributor to stress in your life were…your college applications."

"I have a lot to do." Quinn nodded, putting on her serious face.

There was a long pause, and Quinn struggled not to let it psych her out. Finally, her doctor spoke. "Quinn, if you don't mind me asking whose idea was it for you to start therapy?"

She chose to tell the truth for the first time since entering the office. "I did." She admitted lightly. "My mom might have thought it was a good idea too. We agreed that mental health is just as important as physical, and you get check-ups for your physical health too, right?"

The therapist looked concerned. Quinn's palms started to sweat. She didn't know why she was so nervous.

"So that's what this is to you, Quinn? A check-up…?"

Quinn froze. She had to force herself to speak through the lump in her throat. "Yes."

"You're a very pretty girl, Quinn. You're very poised." Doctor Jessup told her.

"Thank you." She said, not even pretending to be surprised by the compliment.

"However, your composure is forced. You're not relaxed. Do you feel threatened by me?"

Quinn forced a sunny laugh. "Excuse me?"

"Quinn, I'm a professional. Don't underestimate me." She said. Quinn's face fell. "You're here because you know there's something wrong with you, and you're trying really hard to get me to tell you that you're okay."

Quinn was suddenly furious. How could this woman even make a judgment like that? They'd known each other for about seven minutes.

"Everything's fine…" Quinn re-asserted, even though it was clear to her that it wasn't. "I can deal with things by myself. I'm not crazy."

"I'm not saying you are," The doctor leaned forward, her voice softening. "I'm only saying that I think you could be happier."

"Well," Quinn spat wryly, finally cracking. "Happiness is kind of a tall order for anyone, don't you think?"

* * *

><p>The bell rang to mark the end of fourth period. Quinn gathered her books with a frown on her face. Her mind was still back in Doctor Jessup's office, going over the conversation from the night before over and over again.<p>

The doctor was right: she wasn't okay. She hadn't been for months. With every step she took, the sick weight in her stomach got worse. All day, she felt like crying for no reason. She'd fantasized breaking down, but whenever she had the opportunity to let herself, no tears would come. She was kicking herself now. Why had the therapist intimidated her so badly? Why hadn't she been able to talk about _that_ during the session?

"What's up, girl?" Mercedes asked her as they passed each other in the hallway.

"Hey," She smiled. "Not much, how are you?"

"I've been better. My chemistry test was just awful."

"I'm sure you did fine,"

"Maybe…"

Quinn watched Mercedes walk away and felt a pang of sadness. That was the maximum depth of their conversations now. Mercedes had tried to keep in touch with Quinn after she moved back in with her mom, but Quinn had made sure to push her away. She just wanted to live at home without the reminder that she'd ever been away.

Quinn made her way to the cafeteria. Lunch was her least favorite time of day. She hated that kind of forced socialization. She waited in line and got a sandwich then went to sit at her usual table, next to Puck.

She lowered herself into her seat, smoothing out her skirt on the way down. Puck gave her only the briefest glance of acknowledgement as he shoveled spaghetti into his mouth. Quinn didn't try to make conversation. She knew they'd have nothing to talk about.

The rest of the day was a blur. Quinn waited it out boredly, only half attentive in every single one of her classes. She kept contemplating skipping Glee rehearsal that afternoon. Then, she kept contemplating quitting Glee again. What was it really doing for her? Besides fooling her mother into thinking she actually still had a social life…

She went, though. She sat in the front row, emotionally preparing herself to listen to Blaine and Rachel test out new numbers for an hour-and-a-half. She was thrilled when Mr. Shuester put her out of her misery prematurely.

"Duets…!" He cried out, scribbling the familiar five letters on the board. "It's a little later in the year than we've done them in the past, but I think we're in good need of a friendly competition. However, to avoid the drama we had last year, I will be picking your partners."

Quinn was actually relieved. She wouldn't have to go around like a loser trying to find someone willing to work with her.

"Alright," Shuester said, examining her group. "Let's have Kurt and Puck work together…Finn and Tina …Rachel…how about you work with Artie… Blaine and Mike. And I guess that leaves Quinn and Rory."

Everyone was silent, glancing around confused.

"That's…random…" Mike finally said, his eyes shifting.

Quinn had to think for a second to remember who Rory was. Finally, she turned around and smiled at the little Irish exchange student who she had spoken maybe four words to since he arrived. He smiled bashfully from the back row and waved.

"Now, everyone split up…and start getting to work!" Mr. Shuester called out.

Quinn stayed in her seat. Rory could come to her.

"I've never sang a duet before," Rory told her, enthusiastically taking the seat next to hers. "Is it hard?"

He seemed like a sweet kid. Quinn already felt at ease with him. "No, not at all… We'll make sure we pick something easy for you."

He grinned, and it was impossible for Quinn not to grin too. It was weird, in all the times she'd smiled within the past 24 hours, this was the first time it felt genuine.


	2. Chapter 2

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

Quinn crossed her arms, leaning back in disbelief. This woman was very eager to strike a sensitive spot. "No." She said blankly.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

What kind of a question was that? She was eighteen. "Yeah, A few…"

"Tell me about them."

"Which one…?" She felt the suggestion was too broad.

"I want to hear about all of them. If it helps, you can start at the beginning."

"His name was Finn."

"What was he like?"

"He was starting quarterback on the JV football team." Quinn was still proud of it. "He plays varsity now."

"And that's important to you?"

Quinn blinked. "I don't know. You asked me what he was like. He played football. That's just…what he did. So yes, I feel that it's important."

"I'm guessing you and Finn didn't have many shared interests…outside of football, I mean."

"Oh, I hate football," Quinn confessed loudly. "All sports, actually…"

"So what created the initial bond between you and Finn?"

Quinn thought hard. "He made me laugh. He was good-hearted. He was so cute."

Dr. Jessup nodded thoughtfully, waiting for more. Quinn felt put on the spot. She forced a laugh.

"I don't know! I was fifteen. What was I supposed to care about, his credit score?"

"It sounds like he was a good guy. It speaks well of you that you went after him. Why did things end with you too?"

Quinn was silent for a moment, then asked, "Which time?"

"You dated him more than once?" She watched Quinn nod. "Well, what happened the last time you broke up? What made it final?"

Quinn paused again to come up with just the right words. "There's this girl. She's been obsessed with him for years. They dated for a while before we got back together…He dumped me at a funeral. He said he didn't feel the way about me the way he felt about her."

"Who's funeral? Was it someone close to you?" The therapist was concerned.

"Oh, don't even worry about it," Quinn waved her hand in the air dismissively. "It was just a service our Glee club was singing at. And the worst part is, a week earlier, Finn got kicked out of prom for practically assaulting Rachel's date, and I forgave him like an idiot… Then, he had the nerve to tell me that he didn't feel tethered to me."

"What did he mean by that?"

"Who the hell knows…?" Quinn mumbled.

"What about the first time?" The therapist asked. "Was there only one other time you two dated? What happened there?"

Quinn froze. She'd told herself she was going to start being honest with the doctor. She couldn't believe she'd gotten this far without mentioning it.

"I got pregnant."

The therapist hid her shock well. "And…? Finn wasn't supportive? Did you terminate the pregnancy?"

"No. I had the baby. Her name is Beth." Quinn said quickly. "And she wasn't Finn's to be supportive of."

"Wow. You didn't say you had a daughter."

"I don't. _Rachel_'s mother adopted her…her biological mother…she doesn't have a real one." Now Quinn was enjoying the act of overwhelming her therapist. "Oh, and then she had an affair with Beth's dad, Puck."

"Who…Rachel…?"

"No, Shelby: Beth's mom... But I should mention that Rachel dated Puck too."

"Before she dated Finn?"

Bingo. "Yeah, but I heard that they hooked up again after Finn and Rachel were dating."

Doctor Jessup wrote something on her legal pad, and stayed quiet for a long time. "Well Quinn, it appears we've struck gold," She said finally. "The only problem is, I don't think you're the only one with the problems here."

* * *

><p>To be honest, talking about everyone behind their backs gave Quinn a strong sense of power. Hearing Doctor Jessup tell her that everyone else in Glee was just as screwed up as she was made her feel so superior for going to therapy in the first place. Soon, she would be the only sane person she knew.<p>

"You look happy," Rory observed as she walked into the empty astronomy classroom to rehearse with him. The room reminded her of Sam, but she tried to block out all the bittersweet memories that were flooding in, and focus on the positive attitude she'd been experiencing.

"I am happy," She told him. "I had a good day."

"Well that's grand." Rory beamed. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to share my duet ideas with you."

Quinn was impressed. She was prepared to brainstorm, but didn't have any real ideas of her own. "Okay, shoot."

"Well, I was watching television late at night a few days ago, and I came across a film about Johnny Cash. Have you heard of him?"

"Everyone has heard of him," Quinn said, only slightly snobbishly.

"Well, he and his wife, played by the lovely Reese Witherspoon, sang some fantastic duets and I thought we could do one of those."

Quinn was automatically sold. June Carter was like her; not the best singer, but she made up for it in personality, and she was sure Rory could hit those low notes.

"Okay, I printed up some sheet music and burned a karaoke track…" Rory rushed over to a nearby desk and presented her with a stack of papers. "We can try them all and see which one we like best."

Quinn chuckled in disbelief. "You really did come prepared…"

"I just want to do well in Glee club," Rory told her, unashamed.

"Well then," She said. "We better start practicing."

Rory pressed a button on his boom box and the background music to "_Jackson__"_ turned on. Rory did a spin toward her and started to sing.

_"__We __got __married __and __a __fever__…"_

Quinn laughed, amused by his showmanship. She had to wait a verse before she was able to join in.

They did what duet partners always did: they batted there eyelashes and flashed meaningful looks at each other. They faked chemistry. At least, Quinn thought they were faking.

They were both still grinning as the song came to a close.

"Well Quinn Fabray, you're a very good singer," Rory told her charmingly. She beamed, unable to get over his accent.

"I liked that. That was good." She told him. "You know, I'm actually the reigning champion of the duets competition."

"Is that so?" Rory raised his eyebrows interestedly. "Well, then. It seems that we've got this competition in the bag. What do you say we try out another song?"

* * *

><p>"So, you say you were happy with Sam…" Doctor Jessup just wanted to get her facts straight.<p>

"He was probably the nicest guy I've ever dated," Quinn said unconvincingly. "He gave me a promise ring; said he wanted to marry me someday."

"And you paid him back by getting back with Finn…?"

Quinn had to tell herself that her therapist's questions weren't personal attacks. "I guess so…"

"What did you and Sam have in common? More than you did with Finn?"

Quinn nodded. "We both liked country music. We both liked to eat healthy…" She thought a little harder, wanting to convince her therapist that she and Sam had been the real thing. She couldn't think of anything else, though.

"What didn't you like about Sam? What was wrong with him?"

Sam was Quinn's biggest regret already. She didn't want to talk badly about him and make herself feel worse. "Sam was great."

"…Because he was on the football team…?" Doctor Jessup asked, half-joking.

Quinn made a noise of disapproval in her throat. "I told you. He was nicer than any guy I ever dated."

"Even the nicest guys have flaws. There had to be something about him that bothered you."

Quinn knew that there had been. "Okay. Fine," She said, slapping her hands down on the arms of her chair. "I didn't get his sense of humor. He was always talking about Star Wars and Avatar. He wore too much Axe… and he was intense. He told me he wanted to marry me, like, a month after we met. He was always making plans…he wanted to sweep me off my feet day and night by planning these dates..."

"Most girls dream of having a boyfriend like that."

Quinn shook her head. "Sam tried too hard. It was exhausting. I loved him, but…"

"You needed your space," Doctor Jessup tried.

"It wasn't even that," Quinn argued. "Part of me thought that if he really loved me he'd stop trying so hard and let it come naturally. He was so caught up in this idea of what a girlfriend should be that he didn't stop to look at the reality of everything."

"Interesting…" The doctor scribbled something down. "Are you saying that realistically, you weren't good enough for him?"

Quinn started to smirk, "I'm saying that realistically, I don't think I was man enough for him."

Doctor Jessup raised her eyebrows. "Oh…"

"I'm not making assumptions. I'm just saying that he had a lot of tendencies that made me question his sexuality. He dyed his hair. He was constantly asking me if his clothes made him look fat. And I know, some guys are just self-conscious about the way they look, but I always caught him staring at our gay friend, Kurt, so he had to be at least bi-curious..."

"Whether he was gay or straight, you were still the one who ended the relationship."

"_He_ broke up with _me_…"

"After _you_ kissed another boy…"

Quinn clenched her teeth and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. "I made a mistake. I liked two people at once, and I was afraid I'd regret it if I lost the wrong one."

"Is that how you felt when you slept with Puck?"

Now Quinn felt like she was really being attacked. "Sure." But she didn't really know.

"Now, Quinn, last week you called Finn a 'heartless douche-bag' because he couldn't seem to choose between you and Rachel. How is it that you can't forgive him, but you're able to justify your own actions?"

Quinn shook her head. "I never said it was justification. I was just explaining that that's how I felt. And…as for why? I have no idea. I thought that something _you_were supposed to help me figure out…"


	3. Chapter 3

"Finn was wrong about you…"

It came out of nowhere. They'd just finished running another June and Johnny duet. They'd ended up face to face, both of them beaming.

"What?" Quinn blinked.

"Oh it's nothing…" Rory immediately regretted opening his mouth. "Nothing…"

Quinn frowned, "What did Finn say?" She snapped demandingly.

"Nothing," Rory claimed. "He might have mentioned you were a bit high strung, but I actually think that you're quite sweet."

"I appreciate the compliment," She said, but she was still scowling. "Anything else…? Have you heard anything else about me? I bet a lot of people talk about me."

"Not that I know of," Rory said innocently. "But then again, Finn's the only one who talks to me."

With that, Quinn relaxed a little bit. "That's not true. I talk to you."

"That you do…" Rory smirked.

Quinn went back to the boom box to start the song again. Before she could, Rory stopped her. "Quinn, I hope you know that I'd never judge you."

Quinn blinked and turned to look at him again. Something told her that he was lying about not knowing anything. "Okay…"

"I'm just really glad you're my duet partner."

Still, it was nice to have someone who didn't view her as solely a basket case; who seemed genuinely nice enough to treat her decently. She could get used to having Rory around. "Me too…"

* * *

><p>"Have you ever heard of the Golden rule?" Quinn opened with in therapy the next day. "Something about treating people how you want to be treated."<p>

"Of course I have," Doctor Jessup replied. "It's the oldest one in the book."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Well, I think its horse crap."

"A strong sentiment to start a session on…" Doctor Jessup nodded. "But nevertheless, you've managed to intrigue me."

"Finn Hudson," Quinn chewed, "He think he can just go around acting like I'm the bad guy. He sees things as he wants to…I never did anything to him, but somehow he still feels the need to talk about me behind my back."

The doctor was incredulous. "You never did anything to him…?" She blinked. "What about when you cheated on him and lied for months about the paternity of the child."

"He's not allowed just put that in the past when it's convenient for him and remember it when he feels like being pissed off. He got back together with me! We spent almost three months together!"

Doctor Jessup paused momentarily. "What happened to Puck after Beth was born? Where was he last year when all this stuff happened with Finn and Sam?"

Quinn laughed out loud. "Well, he spent fourteen days in Juvie…and then he started spending all his time with this rhinoceros-of-a-girl and didn't really talk to anyone else."

"So you would say that you and Puck pretty much ignored each other for the entirety of the school year?"

"It's not like we had much to say…"

"Was it too painful to speak to him?"

Quinn shrugged. "Not really. Hey, I thought we were talking about Finn."

"We are," The therapist stated matter-of-factly. "Quinn, I believe that you thought giving Beth up for adoption wasn't just a solution for your problems, but that it would make them go away completely."

"That's ridiculous…"

"So you don't agree that to some extent, you spent your junior year trying to rewrite history?"

The words hit Quinn hard. They sounded so familiar.

_"__Don__'__t __try __to __rewrite __history! __Finn __chose __me __over __you!__"_ Rachel had barked at her one afternoon. She hadn't understood what she'd meant until now.

"Are you saying I should've given up my entire life just because I forgot to use a condom?" Quinn asked defensively. "I had a chance to have everything back."

"That's the problem: you and Finn were both trying to erase your mistake. He wanted to forget how it felt to be betrayed and rejected by you, and you wanted to pretend that you'd never let him go. It's not possible to change the past, Quinn. You can learn and grow from it, but you can't alter it. You have to live with the choices you make."

* * *

><p>"Do you want to go run the song a few times before we go home?" Rory asked her eagerly after glee club the next afternoon.<p>

"I can't," Quinn said, her eyes glued on someone across the room. "There's something I have to do."

She grabbed her shoulder-bag and followed Puck as he went out the door.

"Hey," She caught up to him and got his attention.

"What's up…?" He said solemnly. Every time they talked, it got more and more apparent that he only put up with her to be nice. It made her extremely self-conscious. She just wanted him to like her…she wanted him to be proud of her.

"I want to tell you a secret," She told him nervously. "I haven't told anyone, but I was thinking about it, and I realized I really want you to know."

"Oh god, who got you pregnant this time…?"

"What?" Her face contorted. "No one…"

"Are you a lesbian? Did Berry finally profess her love?"

"What…?" This one shocked her. "No. Puck, I wanted to tell you that I've been seeing a therapist."

He looked surprised; unsure of how to react. "Oh…"

"She's great. She's been making me do a lot of thinking."

"Did your mom finally realize you needed help?" He asked, only mildly offensively.

Quinn shook her head. "No, I did this on my own."

Puck cocked his head, confused. "I guess that's good."

Quinn hesitated. She wasn't sure if she could go through with what she had to say next, but she decided to just go for it. "She says I should bring you with me next time…"

Puck raised his eyebrows. "Why?"

"She wants to focus on Beth in this session." She said timidly. She wasn't sure how she felt about it either.

Puck shrugged nonchalantly. "I'll be there."


	4. Chapter 4

"Noah, how many women have you been with?"

Quinn was actually glad the question was being asked. It was something she'd always been curious about to.

Puck didn't hesitate. "Eight." His brow furrowed. "Wait, are we counting BJs and Handsies?"

Quinn buried her face in her hands. Maybe it had been a bad idea to bring him.

"I want you to count anytime you've felt physically intimate with a female."

Puck nodded. "Oh. In that case…ten and a half..."

"And did the bulk of these women come before or after Quinn got pregnant."

Puck shrugged shamelessly. "I guess before. Quinn here was my fifth home run, believe it or not."

"Oh my god," Quinn cried. "We're in therapy, Puckerman, could you use some gentler terminology, please!"

"No, I'm glad he feels comfortable enough to be himself," Doctor Jessup argued. "I like it…"

"I bet you do," Puck winked suggestively. Quinn's jaw dropped and she looked to Doctor Jessup in disgust.

The therapist pursed her lips regretfully. "I don't like it that much, Noah."

He sighed acceptingly. "Whatever. Are we going to talk about Beth or not?"

"We are," The doctor said calmly. "I'm just curious to know how having a baby affected your sexual conscious. I know Quinn took a vow of abstinence during her junior year, but I'm curious to know how it affected you. If you prefer to talk to me alone, though…"

"Quinn knows everything," Puck said flatly. "I didn't let it slow me down. I wasn't worried because Santana was on the pill, and everyone else had probably gone through menopause already."

"And you think that's the only negative consequence of having sex…?"

"Hey, come on, I'm not stupid!" Puck cried with his hand on his chest. "I know about the clap and all that. I just don't worry about it."

"You don't worry about a lot, do you?"

"I don't like stress," Puck said, matter-of-factly. "It's not good for my digestion."

* * *

><p><em>"The trouble with schools is, they always try to teach the wrong lesson," <em>Puck stood in front of the choir room, and belted out the first line of a familiar song. Kurt was standing next to him, looking thrilled. _"Believe me; I've been kicked out of enough of them to know…"_ He casually strolled past the first row of chairs, making faces at everyone as he sung. _"They want you to be less callow, less shallow, but I say why invite stressing. Stop studying strife…and learn to live the unexamined life."_

The bass line kicked in and Kurt started tapping his foot and moving to the rhythm. However, Puck remained the only one singing.

_"Dancing through life_

_swaying and sweeping;_

_and always keeping cool._

_Life is fraughtless,_

_when you're thoughtless_

_those who don't try_

_never look foolish_

_dancing through life_

_mindless and careless_

_make sure your where less_

_trouble is rife_

_woes are fleeting_

_blows are glancing_

_when you're dancing_

_through life..."_

Quinn watched thoughtfully. It was the perfect song for Puck, and she was impressed that Kurt had the brains to pick it out for him. It was weird how content Kurt was with Puck singing the majority of the song. Kurt joined in after the first verse, and at one point, the two of them were singing about being perfect together. Quinn looked around at the reactions. Finn looked absolutely horrified, but everyone else loved it.

At one point, Rachel joined in, and she and Kurt were singing about a hat. Then, Artie started singing about being in a wheel chair, and he and Blaine started singing about deserving each other too. Mike Chang got up and started dancing toward the end. In the last verse of the extremely long song, the six of them were singing together, harmonizing flawlessly.

_"Dancing through life_

_Down at the Ozdust_

_If only because dust_

_Is what we come to_

_And the strange thing:_

_Your life could end up changing_

_While your dancing_

_Through!"_

The few of them remaining in their chairs started clapping wildly.

"Guys," Mr. Shuester flew out of his seat, smiling. "That was great. But I should remind you that your assignment was to do duets. It's excellent that your groups wanted to collaborate, but Blaine, your partner barely even sung."

"It's a song about dancing." Mike Chang told Shuester. "I felt it was more appropriate to dance."

"Kurt wanted to do a real duet," Puck explained defensively. "It was some love song that he likes, but after he gave me the Wicked Soundtrack to listen to, I realized I related to this song more, even though I've never been to a ballroom."

"Well, I think you guys did great. But I'm not so quick to let you off the hook. I want to see real duets by next week."

The bell rang and everyone started gathering their stuff to go to their next class.

"I don't care if that wasn't a real duet," Rory told Quinn as they exited the choir room together. "It's going to be hard to compete with those guys."

"We can do it, Rory," Quinn said confidently, reaching up to place a reassuring hand on his arm. "Trust me…"

* * *

><p>"Trust me…?" Doctor Jessup's eyes darted back and forth from Quinn to Puck. "That was enough for you to go through sleeping with him?"<p>

"I was caught up in the moment," Quinn justified shamefully.

"Obviously,"

"I don't see what the problem is," Puck said. "We brought a perfect little girl into this world. We gave her a good home. Even if her mother has no idea how to treat a man; she's still a good mother. They deserve each other."

"You seem to be in the mindset that everything happens for a reason, Noah."

"Well, doesn't it?" He shrugged. "I just think it's better to sit back and watch life unfold. Regret is the worst kind of self-abuse there is."

Quinn furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips, confused. Since when was Puck so deep?

"It was Quinn's decision to give her up; not mine." He continued to assert. "She regretted getting pregnant."

"We talked about this already…" Quinn mumbled, wanting him to stop.

"So she gave Beth up, but when that didn't work out for her, she regretted that. Did she tell you what she did? She tried to get child protective services to get Beth back for her, and when that didn't work for her, she tried to convince me to get her pregnant again."

"Really…" Doctor Jessup was intrigued by this new information.

"Screw you," Quinn snapped at Puck. She hadn't been ready for Doctor Jessup to know these things yet.

"Quinn, calm down." Doctor Jessup said serenely. Quinn glared at her. How had this woman thought including Puck in therapy was a good idea? "Look, I'm not surprised. Your tendency to try to change history presented itself again. The first mistake of getting pregnant couldn't be undone, and you felt like you'd given your baby up for nothing. So, you tried to correct that mistake as well."

Quinn felt tears begin to form in her eyes. "Thank you," She was shaking as she spoke. "Really, thank both of you for reminding me that I can't do anything right."

"Whoa, Quinn…" Puck's voice got gentler. He tried to place a comforting hand on her shoulder but she scooted away from him.

"It's not fair that I have to live like this!" Quinn shouted hysterically. Then, she crumbled. She started to sob.

"Quinn…" Puck reached to her again. Doctor Jessup watched the scene expressionlessly. Puck held her tightly in his arms and let her cry.

"I think that's enough for today." The therapist said. "Noah, it was nice to meet you. Quinn, you can come back tomorrow."


	5. Chapter 5

"You know, Quinn, in all these visits you've never talked about your home life. Your parents are divorced, right?"

Quinn hesitated, almost disgusted by how casually Doctor Jessup asked the question. "They are…" She nodded.

"And you live with your mother?"

"Yes."

"When was the last time you talked to your father?"

Her face was stone. "It was sophomore year," She said. "The night I told him I was pregnant,"

"Oh," Doctor Jessup's brow furrowed. "So your mother…she was supportive?"

Quinn smiled at Doctor Jessup's naivety. "She let him throw me out. She waited until he cheated on her with a 22-year-old to leave him and let me come home."

"And you think under different circumstances she would've chosen him…?"

"I know she would've," Quinn shrugged confidently.

Doctor Jessup was prepared to dig deeper. "What was your family like when you were growing up?"

Quinn had to think hard about this one. "Everything was perfect. At least that's what they wanted me to believe. If it wasn't perfect, they'd fix it as quickly as they could." Her voice was dripping with resentment.

"And even as a child, did you recognize this was a bad thing?"

"I loved it," Quinn smiled sadly. "Nothing ever felt hopeless."

"Give me an example…" Doctor Jessup said. "…Of how your parents solved a problem."

"If my dad had a bad day at work, it was obvious. He wouldn't talk. He'd keep his temper, but still quietly criticize my mom's house work. She didn't want to fight with him, especially in front of me or my sister, so they'd just start ignoring each other."

"And did their relationship set an example for you? Have you ever felt unable to fight?"

"No, I stand up for what I want," Quinn said surely. "I'm nothing like them."

"Of course not…" Doctor Jessup looked down at her clipboard and wrote something down. Quinn was suspicious, but she kept talking.

"My sister got all the attention," She said. "I couldn't compete with her. They saw the daughter they wanted to. She was perfect: tall, thin, blond…"

"So are you," Doctor Jessup shrugged.

"Frannie didn't have to try," Quinn told her resentfully. "She was born that way. I was born…Lucy Caboosey."

"Do elaborate…"

"I was bullied every day. My parents brushed it off. They just told me not to pay attention to it. I never felt like they really cared enough. So, I did what I thought I had to. I made a change."

"Define change…"

Quinn was hesitant to bring up her eighth grade year: the year of the transformation. She was almost ashamed of it. "I went on a diet. I started counting calories. I started doing sports. I dropped forty pounds in six months. That really got my mom's attention. She was so encouraging. She bought me all the clothes I wanted. My dad went one step farther and bought me a new nose."

"Really?" Doctor Jessup raised her eyebrows, examining Quinn's face. "It looks so real."

"I loved the way they were treating me. I felt like a princess. I got a little obsessed. By the time I got to high school I barely ate at all. I know now that it was a bad idea, so don't give me a lecture. I ate a lot of carrots and celery. I'd have a few saltines over the course of the day to settle my stomach, because it was always in knots…I'd binge at least once a week, and I'd keep it down, so I never considered myself anorexic."

"You were just… hungry,"

"I was beautiful," Quinn shrugged. "And it was so worth it for a while."

"…Until you realized that you couldn't be perfect," Doctor Jessup nodded. "…Not even in your parents' eyes…"

"I messed up," Quinn said. "I brought it all upon myself."

"People mess up. We've talked about it."

Quinn felt a lump in her throat. "But most people are forgiven for it," She said. "I never stood a chance."

* * *

><p>Quinn woke up with two different pimples on her forehead. Maybe therapy had been a bad idea. The stress of it was making her break out. To make matters worse, she couldn't make her hair go the way she wanted to. She finally gave up, put some make up on, and headed off to school.<p>

Self conscious, she kept her head down avoided talking to anyone all morning, but at lunch there was no way out. She had made plans to practice her duet with Rory. They'd decided on "It ain't me", and were set to perform that afternoon.

"Are you ready for this?" Rory asked as he came into the choir room.

Quinn placed a hand on her hip and tried to appear confident. "I was born ready."

Rory turned on the music and instantly started singing.

_"Go way from my window_

_Leave at your own chosen speed_

_I'm not the one you want babe_

_I'm not the one you need"_

Quinn grinned charmingly and started harmonizing with him for the second verse.

_"You say you're a looking for someone_

_who's never weak, but always strong_

_to protect you and defend you_

_whether you are right or wrong"_

Really getting into it, they stepped toward each other and sang close together.

_"Someone to open each and every door_

_But it aint' me, babe,_

_No, no, no_

_It ain't me, babe_

_It ain't me you're looking for"_

Quinn tried to get into character, looking determined not to be with him. As the song ended, she was smirking meanly at him with her hands on her hips. He stared at her, a distant smile on his face. After a few minutes of prolonged eye contact, Quinn was uncomfortable. She looked away, but Rory kept staring. Maybe he was staring at her zits and thinking about how disgusting she was.

"What…?" She asked.

"Nothing…" He blushed, looking at his feet. "It's just that…you might be the most beautiful girl in all of America."

What? Did he really think that? It's not like no one had ever told her that before, but now more than ever, she had needed to hear it. Sort of loosing control of herself, she went over to Rory and wrapped him in a hug. "Thank you." She told him. "That means a lot."

They pulled apart slightly, realizing how close their faces were. Rory wasn't stupid. He could read signals. He nervously reached up and pushed a piece of her hair from her face. She didn't flinch. He took it as a very good sign, and kissed her.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been really busy, and working on my other fics. I decided to come back to this one, but it's sort of a short chapter. Hopefully, I'll be inspired later this week. **

Quinn got caught up in it, and even kissed the younger boy back for a moment. He was so gentle; the lightness of his arms around her back. They were around her to make her feel safe, not to prove to himself that he had her. It was different than any other kiss she'd experienced. But still, something felt wrong.

She pulled herself out of it, looking away with a frown on her face. He kept his arms around her. "What's the matter? Was that terribly bad?"

She had to chuckle. He was just too cute. "I shouldn't be kissing you," She told him.

"And why's that?" Rory asked.

She finally pushed him away, walking toward the chair she'd left her bag on. "Look, Rory. You're adorable, but you're what, fifteen?"

"In my country it's considered good luck to date a younger man," He told her, his eyebrows moving encouraging.

Quinn laughed out loud. "No it's not! You just made that up!"

"Yes, I did," Rory admitted dejectedly. "But I still think it would be a good idea to give me a chance. You do think I'm adorable."

"Rory, there are some things I'm dealing with right now," Quinn admitted. "I can't just go around kissing boys because they're nice to me."

"So, you think I'm nice too…"

Quinn laughed again. "Goodbye, Rory. I'll see you tomorrow."

She moved toward the door, a weight of sadness falling upon her chest. She felt a lot worse about rejecting him than she expected to.

* * *

><p>"I want you to be honest with me," Quinn told Doctor Jessup. "I really want your opinion: do you think I could be in a relationship right now?"<p>

Doctor Jessup paused for only a second. "That depends, why do you want to be in a relationship, and with whom?"

Quinn's face contorted guiltily. "I kissed someone today. A sophomore… well…he kissed me."

"Oh…?" The doctor was intrigued.

"And he's cute and sweet, and he's exactly the type of guy I always thought I wanted, but every time I've thought that in the past, the guy eventually didn't seem like enough for me."

"Well, I definitely think that it's healthy that you've recognized a pattern,"

"Well…good…" Quinn said. Healthy was good.

"I would just sit back and ask yourself how you really feel about this boy," Doctor Jessup told her. "Do you really like him? Or do you just think you like him because you've gone a while without liking anyone, and see him as an option."

Quinn paused. She really didn't know the answer, so she decided to change the subject. "Did I tell you about Gary yet?"

"No you didn't. Who's Gary?" Doctor Jessup reached for her note pad. Quinn hated it when she did that.

"He was the last guy I dated…if you could call it dating…"

"Did you sleep with him?"

Quinn blinked. She was too embarrassed to answer that. "He was about forty. I kept bumping into him at the coffee house, he was a total caffeine addict, and he kept hitting on me. Finally, I decided to go for it. He was one of those guys that just never grew up. All he did was skateboard and play video games. I guess what I'm saying is that I thought it meant a lot that I was hanging out with an older man, but now, like, there's Rory. He's two years younger than me and I feel like he has so much to offer. I feel like I could learn from him, and that intrigues me."

"Here's the thing, Quinn," Doctor Jessup said gently. "You tend to create caricatures of people and situations. It sounds like you don't know this boy very well, and are turning him into what you think you need before you get the chance to get to know him. If you like him, that's wonderful. but please don't rush into things."

Quinn nodded, a heavy weight on her chest. Even though she had asked, she had been expecting an answer that she wanted to hear. She had realized that she wanted to try things out with Rory. There had to be some sort of way to compromise.

* * *

><p>Quinn marched up to Rory's locker the next day, a speech prepared in her head.<p>

"I've been doing a lot of thinking." She told him. He grinned instantly, intrigued. "I think we should go out. I don't want to kiss you or date you or anything like that just yet. I want to spend time with you; a chaste, old fashioned courtship."

Rory raised a single eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"I think I might like you," She told him. "But I'm not ready to make the decision for real just yet. The thing is, I don't want to make it when it's too late. What do you think? Should you help me speed along the process?"

Rory grinned. "Absolutely," He said. "Anything for you, Quinn Fabray."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N- **_**I've never really thanked my readers/reviewers before, but I think I'll do it now. Thanks for the feedback! It's great and stufflikethat. ALSO. I just got a Tumblr again. If y'all wanna be tumble-buddies It's the same name, just one word; themoronscribe. AND HELL, pop a message in my ask box if you wanna get crazy letting me know that this is how you found me. I will undoubtedly be amused. **

* * *

><p>Quinn pulled the stool away from her vanity table. She dragged it across the room and planted it directly underneath her smoke detector. She had a box of Glad Cling Wrap tucked under her arm as she stepped up onto it.<p>

For a while, it had been easy to just sneak out onto the patio whenever she wanted a smoke. But now, it was getting cold, and she was getting lazy. Her window was open, a towel was rolled up under her door, and now she was covering the smoke detector. There was no way her mother would catch her. However, she was beginning to wonder if the extra effort was worth staying a little warmer. Once the detector was covered, she dragged the stool over to her window and sat down.

She was down to a single cigarette a day. She figured it was an acceptable ration. She didn't have a problem, she just had a ritual. One cigarette was what she needed to stay sane.

Her phone started buzzing across the room, and she left the burning cigarette on the inside of her windowsill as she went to answer it. She smiled uncontrollably when she saw that it was Rory calling.

"Hey,"

"Hello," Rory said sweetly. "I would've texted you but I wanted to be a gentleman."

"I appreciate that," Quinn giggled.

"I just wanted to let you know," Rory continued. "That I made a reservation for breadsticks tomorrow night. Mrs. Pierce told me that breadsticks is the only restaurant in town worth taking a lady to."

"Oh, so you're consulting Brittany's mother now?" Quinn teased. She stepped back over to the window and picked up her cigarette.

"…Anything I can do to give you the best," Rory said.

Quinn giggled one more time. Doctor Jessup was wrong. There was no way Quinn couldn't like Rory.

"Quinn!" Her mother's voice called down the hallway. "Quinn do you want some dinner…?"

"Hey, look, I have to go," She told Rory. "But I'm looking forward to our night out."

She hung up quickly and stabbed her cigarette out and leaving it in between the screen and the window as she pulled the window shut.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute!" She called frantically as she ran to the door and grabbed the towel before her mother could come in and find it. She then went over to her vanity and fixed her hair before collectedly going out to meet her mother in the hall.

"You've been smoking again," Was the first thing her mother said. "I can smell it on you."

Quinn kept her smile of innocence on. "Of course not…"

"Don't lie to me, Lucille."

Her mother only called her by her real name when she was in trouble. "Honestly!" She cried, quite convincingly. "I got a ride home from Puck. He smokes like a chimney! It's impossible not to smell like cigarettes after sitting for even a minute in that hotbox."

Her mom started down the hall boredly. She wasn't buying it. "No wonder you haven't been dating this year. No boy wants to kiss an ashtray."

Quinn's jaw dropped. Her mother had said a lot of mean things over the years, but the excessive exposure didn't provide Quinn with any sort of immunity. "Excuse me!" She charged down the hall after her mother. "For your information, I have a date tomorrow night."

"Honey, I don't want you sitting at home watching Lifetime anymore. I'm worried about you."

"I just said I…" Quinn tried, but Judy Fabray interrupted.

"It's your senior year. You should be having fun."

"It's been good for me to relax, mom!" Quinn argued as they walked into the kitchen. "And I really do have a date tomorrow. His name's Rory."

Her mother was skeptical. "…Rory…?"

"He's Irish…" Quinn included.

"I'll have to meet him," Judy sighed. "It better not be one of my classmates again."

"Gary was three years younger than you! He didn't even go to your high school!"

"He was in youth group with my cousin Katherine in 1985. He was old enough to be your father. I swear to god; the decisions you make…"

"The decisions I make are none of your business!" Quinn shouted. "And honestly, I'm afraid to introduce you to Rory because you might scare him off."

"You haven't made it easy to trust you," Judy reminded her daughter. "This is my house and I'm finally laying down some rules. If you want to go out with this boy, he has to come inside and say hello when he picks you up."

"He can't," Quinn grinned superiorly.

"I'm serious, Quinn."

"He can't come pick me up. He doesn't have his license."

"Well, it's not very nice to make a lady drive,"

"What is this, 1895?" Quinn narrowed her eyes in disgust. "I'll probably just pick him up on the way to the restaurant. I'm not going to turn around just so he can meet you. Our plans just aren't going to work out the way you want them to."

"How convenient," Judy shook her head.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "You said there was dinner."

Judy nodded, still irritated. "There's lasagna in the oven. Help me set the table."

Quinn made her way to the cupboard, chuckling meanly. "It's two plates. It's not that hard to do on your own." She mumbled.

He mother scoffed. "Count your blessings, Lucille," She shouted after her.

* * *

><p>"You said you wanted to get to know me," Rory grinned at Quinn from across the table. "So ask me anything you'd like. I'm open for business."<p>

Quinn was unwrapping the napkin from her silverware to place it on her lap. She blushed up at Rory, almost at a loss for words. "I don't know. What do you think is important about you?"

"Well. My name is Rory. I'm extremely adorable. I like to sing. I like cars. I like movies."

"What kinds of movies?"

"All of them. Even the bad ones… I like to break them down…really think about them. It's kind of an escape, you know?"

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Quinn nodded. "But my favorites are the brainless comedies from the 1930s and 40s. I like how they're sort of just long sitcoms."

"Are you familiar with the Marx Brothers?" Rory challenged her.

"Absolutely," Quinn beamed. "Duck Soup is in my top ten."

Rory was thrilled. "That's both surprising and impressive, Quinn Fabray."

"I was raised on the classics," She shrugged. "My mom loves anything black and white. She still watches shows from the 50s more than anything else. I was named after Lucille Ball."

Rory raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry…?"

Quinn suddenly realized her mistake. She felt her face go hot. "Oh. Wow. That was a mistake."

"I don't understand…" Rory was smiling, intrigued.

Quinn realized there was no easy fix for what she had just done. "You see, the name on my birth certificate is Lucille Quinn Fabray."

"That's a beautiful name," Rory complimented genuinely. "Why do you go by Quinn? Did you just want a change?"

"Sort of…" Quinn nodded. "I have some bad memories of being Lucy."

"Please elaborate,"

Quinn raised her eyebrows at Rory, speechless.

"Sorry…" He caught himself, looking down at his menu, embarrassed. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"No, it's great," Quinn shook her head. "You should be asking questions. It's just that for a second there you sounded just like my therapist."

There was a brief awkward pause, and Quinn felt like slapping herself for speaking again without thinking.

"We used to go to family therapy in Ireland. My brother had some issues, and we wanted to help him through them," Rory let slip nonchalantly. "I've always said that mental health is just as important as physical health."

"Oh…" Quinn wanted to cry. She was just too touched that Rory was being so nice and so logical.

"I meant it, Quinn…" He told her, his face contorting seriously. "I meant it when I said I'd never judge you."

Quinn nodded slowly. "Good."

* * *

><p>"I like him," She said to Doctor Jessup during her next session. There was a pleading tone in her voice, as if she was begging for permission to do something. "I really, really like him. He took me to dinner and we saw an old Carey Grant movie at the revival, and we had so much to talk about. He had all these great stories. He's interesting…"<p>

"That's great, Quinn, I'm glad to hear the date went well," Doctor Jessup grinned.

"So, if I'm sure I like him, do you think I could be in a relationship with him?"

The doctor sighed. "Look, Quinn, I still don't think you should rush into anything. Be an adult. If you two are cherishing your time together, there's no need for labels. So what if you can't post your relationship on Facebook."

"That's not what this is about!" Quinn argued. "I like him, and I want to be with him. If I string him along with no commitment, he's just going to end up in the arms of some other girl!"

"Think hard, Quinn," Doctor Jessup reminded her. "Making your relationships official haven't kept all parties faithful in the past. It will be less stressful if you take this at a reasonable pace. Learn from your mistakes. That's all I can suggest."

Quinn pursed her lips. "You know, I really want tell you to screw yourself and storm out,"

Doctor Jessup was amused. "Then why don't you?

Quinn shook her head wildly. "My mother's paying you for a reason."

"That she is…" The therapist said softly.

Quinn leaned back on the couch, biting her lip in thought. "I really like him," She repeated herself.

"And if that feeling is real…" Doctor Jessup told her. "Then it will last."


	8. Chapter 8

"Guys…! That was great!" Mr. Shuester shouted, clapping.

Quinn and Rory beamed as they stood in front of the rest of the choir, having preformed their duet successfully.

"And since you two were the only couple to actually complete the assignment, I have no choice but to reward you the grand prize."

"Not fair!" Rachel Berry shouted. "We practiced inclusion! Isn't that what Glee club is about?"

"Nice try, Rachel," Mr. Shuester sighed. "But Quinn and Rory are going to breadsticks this year."

Everyone clapped cooperatively, and Rory gave Quinn an adorable wink. He leaned toward her and spoke into her ear, whispering the words "Reigning champion".

* * *

><p>"Our second date in a week," Rory smiled at her across the booth the following evening. "We might just get sick of each other one of these days."<p>

"Impossible," Quinn beamed. "What do you think you're going to order?"

"Well, I think we should get different things, and you can try some of mine and I can try some of yours."

Quinn chuckled. "You mean, like, feed each other?"

"I don't know…" Rory blushed. "Not necessarily."

"God, that's, just too cute."

"How is it cute?" Rory asked. "It's practical. It allows us to broaden our exposure."

"Stop," She interrupted it. "You're cute. Don't argue with me."

"Oh I see what this is," Rory leaned back, crossing his arms playfully. "This is our first fight."

"And I'm winning," Quinn shrugged. She leaned forward and rested her elbows on the table. "I really think it would be a better idea to order one big plate of spaghetti. We'll think we're sucking up separate noodles, but we'll really be sucking separate ends of the same noodle."

Rory leaned forward as well. "Oh, I see what you're trying to do, Quinn Fabray."

"Do you?" She said softly.

He nodded, inching forward a bit more. Soon their lips were touching, and Quinn was wondering if kissing him was even okay. It had to be. It's not like kissing was dating.

"You don't need an excuse to do that," He told her sweetly. "You can just…"

She didn't let him finish. She instead leaned further forward and placed a hand on the back of his neck, going in for a deeper, more passionate kiss.

Suddenly, their waitress interrupted them, clearing her throat as she approached the table. The teenagers flew apart embarrassedly.

"Do you two need a minute?" She asked them, smiling wickedly.

"No." Quinn ran a hand over her hair quickly and took a deep breath. "I'll have the lobster ravioli."

Rory nodded approvingly. "And I'll have the spaghetti." He winked again as they handed the waitress their menus. Quinn felt her cheeks turn hot.

"Wow," She shook her head, grazing her temple with her finger tips. "That was so wrong. I don't know what came over me."

Rory laughed. "I'm sure it wasn't the first time she's seem something like that. You said this was a hot date spot, right?"

Quinn wasn't sure. "I can't just go make out with guys in public places! I've always liked to think I had a little more class than that."

"Quinn, come on, it wasn't that bad."

"It was bad," She insisted, looking over to the salt and pepper shakers and fidgeting with them. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."

His face started to fall. "Wait a second," He frowned. "Are you sorry that you kissed me like that or sorry that it happened in public?"

Quinn looked back at him, a pained expression on her face.

"Oh…" That was the only answer Rory needed. "I see then…"

"Rory, no…" She said urgently, her voice quiet. "It's just that I really meant it when I said I wanted to make any rash decisions. I wanted to be mature and figure out how I was feeling, but now I'm thinking with all the wrong parts of me,"

She could tell that the younger boy's mind sort of went into the gutter there. His eyes got a strange twinkle in them as they shifted back and forth. "What part of you are you thinking with, Quinn?" He asked awkwardly.

Quinn closed her eyes and exhaled through her nose, rubbing her temple again. "Oh god…." She said uncomfortably. "It's not like that. This is so much more than, like, sexual attraction if that's what you're implying…"

"I don't know what I'm implying. What are you implying?" Rory couldn't contain his amusement. It was adorable. Quinn couldn't help but start to smile.

"I'm trying to be serious!" She pleaded. "I really don't know what to do here."

Rory finally calmed down a bit. Thinking hard, he breathed out, letting his lips flap slightly as he did. "Well," Quinn could tell he was finally searching for a solution. He was great. "Well…" Unfortunately he was coming up empty. "Well, I don't know. I'd really like to kiss you again and I don't see any harm to it."

Quinn felt hopeless. "But, you see, if I kiss you consistently, than it's almost like you're my boyfriend," She told him. "I've tried breeds of casual dating that included the physical stuff and it lead to a proposal of marriage!"

"Well if it makes you feel better, then I promise not to marry you," Rory replied.

"I'm supposed to cherish my time with you," Quinn said confidently. "That's all I'm supposed to do. But it's almost as if knowing I'm not allowed to date you makes me want the security more."

"Hey," Rory reached over the table, holding his palms up until she slipped her hands into them. "Quinn, I'm really into you. I'm not going anywhere. Honestly, I couldn't go after another girl right now if I tried."

"Don't say that. It makes it harder," She blinked, her voice straining.

He tightened his hold on her hands, rubbing little circles around her knuckles with his thumbs. She looked down at their hands together. It was terrifying.

"Why do you care about what you're supposed to do?" Rory asked. "If you like me, you should be with me. Be my girlfriend, Quinn. I really think it's a swell idea."

Quinn stared at his face. He was so young; so innocent; so sure. There was nothing she could do but trust him. She was loosing all resistance.

"Rory…" She could barely speak.

"All that's left now is yes or no," He said to her.

And then she lost control. She started nodding. "Yes…" She said. She pulled her hand out of his grip and started stroking the back of his head. "Let's just go for it."

And then they kissed again, and continued to kiss until the waitress brought them their orders.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N - Yes, this is an extremely short chapter, but I just had a couple of scenes I wanted to throw in. I'm probably going to take a little hiatus from this story while I focus on the Faberry and Puckleberry stories I've been working on (see my page if you're curious). I plan on coming back to this in the future, because I love writing Quinn/Rory, but for now I'm juggling to many fanfictions at once. Too many Glee feelings: not enough time to express them. But, I'm sure y'all know what that's like ;D**_  
><em>

* * *

><p><em>"Wise men say<em>

_Only Fools Rush In"_

Rory stood by Brad at the piano as he sang in the choir room the following Monday. Quinn was in the front row, beaming at him. He was making her want to cry.

_"But I can't help_

_Falling in love with you"_

People were starting to realize that she was the one he was singing to. A few of them thought it was sweet, but a few were extremely confused.

_"Shall I say_

_Would it be a sin_

_If I can't help_

_Falling in love with you."_

Quinn blushed and looked away sweetly.

_"Like a river flows_

_To the sea_

_So it goes_

_Some things are meant to be"_

He stopped in front of her and held out his hand.

_"Take my hand…"_

She gave it to him willingly.

_"…Take my whole life too_

_Cause I can't help falling in love with you"_

When he was finished, the applause was strong, but quiet. Quinn stood up and wrapped her boyfriend in a secure hug.

* * *

><p>"I have something to say," Quinn told Doctor Jessup that afternoon, storming into her office.<p>

"Of course you have something to say. You're supposed to have something to say. This is therapy."

Quinn shook her head. "I'm not going to listen to you." She said quickly. "I tried, but it wasn't working."

"I'm assuming this has to do with your Irish fellow…" Doctor Jessup concluded intelligently.

"We're together," Quinn said. "For real… It wasn't forced. We just wanted to make the commitment. That was our decision."

"I guess it was, wasn't it," The doctor nodded acceptingly.

"And I know you think I'm not stable enough to be in a relationship, but he keeps me sane! When I'm with him, I feel safe. I don't feel like he's going to hurt me, and more importantly, I don't feel like I'm going to hurt him. And, if this turns out to be a mistake, than I'll have a real test, won't I? Because you're the one who told me to learn from my mistakes instead of trying to erase them, but how can I ever learn again if I just stop living. I have to be allowed to make mistakes, and you don't have the power to stop me."

"Wow…" Doctor Jessup began to nod. "Sit down Quinn."

Quinn obeyed, her jaw clenched. "I can't stay long…"

"I'm not asking you to," Doctor Jessup smiled. "I have to tell you, I'm impressed. You're standing up for yourself, and for the first time, I feel like you're thinking like an adult."

Quinn wasn't sure how to react to the support. "Thank you…"

"And maybe I owe you an apology. Casual dating isn't for everyone."

It was only the second time an adult had ever really apologized to her, apart from her mom when she brought her back into the house after Beth was born. It made her feel like a grown up.

"I'll come back for a regular session tomorrow," Quinn stood up again. "I wasn't joking. I can't stay. My boyfriend's waiting in the car. We have a date."

"And you felt the need to drop in here on your way out?"

Quinn shrugged. "I couldn't let it sit on my conscious all night."

Doctor Jessup grinned smugly. "I appreciate the fact that you care that much. But Quinn: Remember that you don't owe me anything. I'm just your therapist."

Quinn shook her head. The past couple of weeks had opened her eyes to so much. "Actually, I owe you a lot," She said simply. "Have a great night, Doctor Jessup."

"You too, Quinn."


End file.
